1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the clarification of citrus juices.
2. Description of the Prior Art
All citrus juices contain, when freshly expressed, a dense suspension of insoluble colloidal particulates commonly referred to as "cloud". While this cloud is generally desirable, there are products, such as lime juice, which are sold predominately as a clear juice. Florida lime juice production is dependent upon natural clarification to remove cloud. Freshly extracted juice, treated with sodium bisulfite to retard spoilage, is held for 30 days in large tanks to allow natural clarification. The juice may or may not reach the desired level of clarity in the allotted time. Clarified supernatant is drawn off from the settled cloud, centrifuged, treated with filter aid, and filtered in a cloth press to yield a sparkling clear juice. Settled materials in the clarification tank, which occupy 25-30% of the tank volume, cannot be economically removed from the suspending liquid and this fraction is therefore discarded.